“For many, sexuality goes to the heart of who we are as human beings,” writes Alan Finlay, the editor of the latest Global information society watch (GISWatch) report and also the guest editor for this edition of GenderIT.org. The 2015 GISWatch brings stories on the politics of sex and sexual rights online from 52 countries worldwide. Through interviews with authors, and a selection of links to online reports, this GenderIT.org edition draws on and highlights the stories published in GISWatch, ranging from the challenges and possibilities that the internet offers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LBGTQ) communities, to female genital mutilation, the right to legal abortions, to the rights of sex workers, criminalization of sexual expressions or sex education in schools.



EDITORIAL



The politics of sex and sexual rights online

By Alan Finlay



For many, sexuality goes to the heart of who we are as human beings. As these country reports show, it can be both an intensely private negotiation, and an issue of direct public and political expression. Both the vulnerability and resilience of sexual rights online are felt in these reports. They show that for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LBGTQ) communities, the internet offers a place of resistance, retreat and support, but is also a space for persecution both by authorities and hate groups.



INTERVIEWS



“Putting locks on our chastity belts…”

A number of reports in this year’s GISWatch focused on the everyday reality when it comes to sexuality that many teenagers face when using the internet. GenderIT.org’s writer Florencia Roveri and the co-author of Argentinian GISWatch report speaks to three other authors – Mariana Giorgetti Valente from InternetLab – Law and Technology Research Center in Brazil, Lin McDevittPugh from Netsheila in The Netherlands and Nieke Jahja from the Center for Civic Engagement and Studies in Indonesia, as they each approached this topic from different angles.



Restraining alternative sexual practices in Thailand

Thaweeporn Kummetha is an active journalist and blogger and works for the Thai Netizen Network. She wrote on cyber sexuality in Thailand, and the use of the internet in the sex trade in the country. Kummetha was interviewed by Lamia Kosovic on Thailand’s new Dangerous Behaviours bill which bans unconventional sexual practices.



RELATED RESOURCES



GISWatch 2015 – Sexual rights and the internet



Cyber sexuality in Thailand: the use of the internet in the sex trade



Dealing with sexting in schools in the Netherlands



Not revenge, not porn: analysing the exposure of teenage girls online in Brazil



Sexuality online: Addressing the information needs of teenagers in Indonesia

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editorial

[EDITORIAL] The politics of sex and sexual rights online

Anonymous (not verified)
This GenderIT. org bulletin focuses on the politics of sex and sexual rights online – the topic of the Global Information Society Watch 2015. Through interviews with authors, and a selection of links to online reports, it draws on and highlights the content published in GISWatch. Since 2007, the GISWatch provides a space for collaborative monitoring of the implementation of governments commitments towards the creation of an inclusive information society.

“Putting locks on our chastity belts...”: A discussion on sex education for teenagers

Florencia Roveri
A number of reports in this year's GISWatch focused on the everyday reality when it comes to sexuality that many teenagers face when using the internet. Mariana Giorgetti Valente from InternetLab - Law and Technology Research Center in Brazil, Lin McDevitt­Pugh from Netsheila in The Netherlands and Nieke Jahja from the Center for Civic Engagement and Studies in Indonesia approached this topic from different angles.

Restraining alternative sexual practices – Thailand's new Dangerous Behaviours bill

LamiaKosovic
Thaweeporn Kummetha is an active journalist and blogger and works for the Thai Netizen Network. She wrote on cyber sexuality in Thailand, and the use of the internet in the sex trade in that country. Kummetha was interviewed by Lamia Kosovic, who is a lecturer at the Gender and Women’s Studies Department at SUNY Plattsburgh in New York, and an instructional designer at University of Maryland.
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